The Biggest Secrets Live Under The Surface
by MermaidOdair
Summary: Sybil and her sisters live peacefully on the deep oceans of Downton isle, that is until a young man walks into a magic pool and ruins their lives. Their mission? get his powers and save their home at any cost, but is it really at any cost? even at love's?
1. Humans cannot get on the moon pool

_This is loosely inspired by the Mako Mermaids/H2O universe. This is a multi-chaptered AU fic, very different from the other fic I have planned for them, which is a one-shot and in a opposite universe, and I truly hope you enjoy them both *wink wink* maybe tell me which one you like better and what you like to see next *wink wink*._

 _Also I just got accepted at a uni program of teaching so my weeks will be hectic, and updates really slow._

 _With that being said, please enjoy._

* * *

Tom didn't know what could possibly happen when he entered that cave on that summer, full moon night. All he knew was that it was a very, very weird cave. And that this wasn't supposed to happen.

 _It all started when he went camping on the Downton Isle with his friend Matthew. It wasn't his ideal way to spend the weekend but still it was better than staying at home and working all summer._

 _Matthew and Tom knew each other ever since they were babies, his mother Isobel was a midwives along with Tom's mother._

 _He woke up in the middle of the night and started walking, unable to sleep any more. It was dark and there was something about the isle that always fascinated and questioned him._

 _He barely had time to process where he was stepping at when he fell into a hole. His ankle hurt and he knew he had to find a way out of there. But he couldn't possibly go up from the hole he fell, he had to follow the cave and see where he would end up at._

 _It was really tight, and he couldn't possibly go up in the same way he got in, and He knew it was useless to scream. Yet the sound of running water gave him an idea._

 _He followed the sweet sound of water until he found d a small pool. It gave him a way out and also a location. The downton Isle had an old and highly inactivated volcano, and a small pond must have formed there throughout the years. It was truly a beautiful sight. If only he had a camera to capture this image._

 _The moon was fully showing on the opening on the top of the cave and it was truly the best sight Tom had ever seen._

 _Well, he would have to come back here._

 _But first he had to go out. He jumped onto the small pool and had no time to think about swimming away when the water started mysteriously and oddly bubbling. Almost as if it was boiling, only the water wasn't hot._

 _The whole thing lasted for only a few seconds and when it stopped Tom didn't even dared to look, all he did was swim away, and try to find his way back to his camping area._

 _Little did he know that three pairs of eyes watched him swimming away, and they weren't very happy to find about where he was. One of them tough, looked at him not with despair as the other two but instead with wonder. Two tried to chasse after him but the younger one stopped them both._

And now, on the following morning Tom woke his best friend and told him it was time to leave.

"Are you serious?" Matthew asked, clearly annoyed that he would have to leave and also that he was woken by Tom. "You told me we would spend the weekend here! Also where were you?"

"I got lost." Tom lied quickly. He knew his friend would never believe in him. _A bubbling pool inside a cave? Heck_ , _not even Tom believes in what he saw._

When the two young men got inside the boat and left the Isle slowly the same three creatures that watched Tom swim away that night looked at boat. One of them started to follow, but the other two held her back.

"Mary!" The youngest of the three spoke. "You can't go in there!"

"Yes I can." She spoke, being the older one; Mary knew her sisters couldn't argue with her, besides this could ruin their entire family.

"We don't know what happened to the boy, it may be nothing, and he may not even have seen anything." The middle one spoke. Edith knew clearly something must have happened; she just didn't want to think about it. And besides Edith won't allow Mary to have her way again.

"We need to see what happened, but we cannot hurt the boy, or let our family know about this. It was our job to protect the cave; it is our job to work it out." Said the youngest, Sybil. She had no idea of what could possibly happen if a human entered the moon cave and the water on a full moon. The full moon in their force, their strength, if a human walks inside it they are ruined.

Maybe nothing would happen or maybe everything would happen and change the world as she knew. But right now all Sybil knows is that she needs to find that young man and find out exactly what happened.

"And is your suggestion, Sybil?" Mary spoke, angry and clearly demanding an answer right away "We let it be and go on with our lives, knowing our secret may just be exposed?"

"I saw we follow him." Sybil said and could hear Mary whisper an 'i told you so' to Edith, but before the oldest could brag any further Sybil continued. "But we will not reveal ourselves, or do anything. We will just see if he became something or worse if he will die."

"Die?" Edith questioned, she truly didn't think that entering the moon pod would kill that boy.

"Well, as far as I know, no human has ever entered the moon pod before." Sybil answered. No, she did not want the boy's death. She really doesn't want him to die; she just wants to know what has happened to him and how they can fix it.

With a sigh Mary agreed and the three started swimming and following the boat carefully.


	2. Oucasted

_**And here I am, back with another chapter of this story (which I think will be the longest of yet, because there's a whole lot f build up before things actually start to happen) and I truly hope you all enjoy it and please let me know what you all think.**_

* * *

Tom was sure that in no circumstance something like this was ever supposed to happen. It was truly the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him, or anyone in this world.

All Tom knows at this point is that when he went to take a swim on that Saturday and all the sudden he did not had his legs anymore, instead on the place of his legs he had a tail. A blue tail.

Or better yet, a very strange blue tail.

All Tom is able to do now is try to swim. It can't be that bad, can't it?

He swims, but is unable to swim like he used to, instead he can only swim like a fish, or a dolphin.

Actually, more like a merman. Quite fitting, for that is what he is now.

Tom wasn't sure of why something like this could ever happen. The only thing he is sure of is that no one can know about this. But he also knows that if he doesn't tell anyone he may go mad. If the tail doesn't get him madder first.

He has to tell someone, but the question is: Who?

Tom couldn't possibly tell this to his mother or his sisters about this, no one would believe in him or accept it.

He doesn't think he has accepted it.

The only person he can tell its Matthew, his best friend ever since his childhood.

Swimming until he reaches the shore near Matthew's house, Tom tries to leave the water and thinks of how he can make the tail disappear. He clearly didn't have it this morning, so it has to go away.

Tom tries and with lots of problems manages to reach the nearest dry spot. Praying that no one sees him he waits for a few minutes, it doesn't go away right away, but in minutes his tail disappears and his human legs and clothes appear again.

Just as if the craziest thing that could ever happen to someone simply has never existed.

He then stands up, glad to be standing on his own foots again. Looking around worriedly he can see that there is no one there.

Too bad he missed the three other mermaids who were staring at him from the far away, as surprised and terrified with it as the newfound merman. If not more.

Swimming until it they were safe on the mermaid cave, the three mermaids started to decide what to do about him.

"The pod has to know about this." Said Mary.

"Are you insane?" Edith began "If they find out about it we are over, outcasted."

"I agree with Edith, perhaps waiting for a while before we tell them is our better chance." Sybil spoke quietly "I agree with Edith this can get us outcasted and we most likely will."

"No we won't, mama won't allow it." Mary spoke, she was the oldest, and of course she had to be the wisest.

"Mom has no power against the council, yes we are powerful physically but the council is more powerful in mind, we will be outcasted even if they don't actually outcast us." Sybil spoke, she knows that her mother will try her best to not get them in problems because of what they did, or rather didn't. But the mermaid council will give them problems. No mermaid will ever talk with them, is worse than being outcasted. They will be simply ignored.

And that is very bad.

"What do you have in mind, miss smarty tail?" Mary asked coldly.

"Nothing because we already now." A very familiar voice said and the three mermaid sisters looked back to meet their mother Cora.

"But how?" Edith asked, _oh what will be of them now?_

"The council has eyes everywhere." She repeated the line that she has spoken many times to them. Everyone knew that the head of the mermaid council was not very fond of the Crawley's. "I tried, my sweet Childs, I tried. But I regret deeply to say that you all are outcasted, you cannot come back."

"But we have to fix it, mom, we can fix it." Sybil spoke. She has never been apart from her mother and rushed to hug the older woman tightly. Her mother cried and outstretched her arms for the two older sisters join the hug.

Letting go the mother looked at each one of her daughters and spoke. "Whatever happens you all need to promise me to stay together. I won't be with you in person but my heart is always with you."

"You can't be with us?" Mary questioned.

"I fear not my child." Cora spoke "I have to go now, but promise me that as much as you fight, for I know asking you all not to is impossible, I beg you to love each other and protect each other at all times."

Looking back at her sisters Mary spoke "We promise, mama, we promise."

* * *

 _Ps. Eu amo vocês todos mais que chocolate._


	3. Legs? !

_Hello my loves, I hope you are all doing fine and I also hope you love this chapter and the enxt few ones because right now is where our action begins. I am considering about writing a chapter with the mermaids POV on the first chapter, what do you think? Please let me know in the reviews if you would like to read that and also things you like or not, or anything at all._

 _Amo vocês mais que chocolate ;)_

* * *

Being outcasted was, well, it was hard. The three mermaids had nothing left, no home, no family, and had to hunt for their own food. Which was normal for Sybil and even for Edith, but Mary, oh Mary has never done anything like it.

"Why would the daughters of the most powerful mermaid of all times have to hunt?" She asked bitterly."

"In case you didn't notice Mary we are alone here, no one to help." Edith answered her as if she was talking with a child.

"I meant before."

"Because we wanted to do our own things." Sybil answered proudly, "And also I have an idea to get the pod back, but for that we will have to go to, let's say a few extreme ways."

"And what is that?" Edith asked she truly doesn't care anymore, all she wants is to have her family back where it always belonged to: Downton. "

Sybil looked down at her own tail and at the dry land of the Isle and smiled at her sisters, she knew they understood the message.

"No way." Mary answered "It's dangerous and we don't know if it is even possible."

"It is with your ring." Sybil answered blinking her eyes and smiling at her sister "Please, let's try it."

Both older sisters knew of the youngest Crawley fascination with the dry-land objects and people, and she would watch the boats for house and hours, even daring to go near the land more times than a mermaid her age should.

"My ring is meant to protect us, not get us in trouble." Mary answered, being the older sister; she was the first one to get her moon ring with Edith being the second, with her ring ceremony being on the next month if the pod hadn't left.

Sybil, poor Sybil had barely began her training when the pod left.

"The boy had become a merman, he will surely have the powers too, he has the tail who can guarantee he won't receive the powers, you heard of what mermen can do." Sybil argued "We have to take his powers and tail, only then the pod will come back, but he will never get close to us on the water."

"You say we attack him on his own world." Edith mused.

"Yes, well not attack, just talk with him and then see what we can do." Sybil went on "He didn't look happy with the tail, maybe he will wish it was gone just as much as we do."

"He was surprised Sybil, anyone would be." Mary reasoned "He may enjoy it in the future."

"Then we go to him before he gets the chance to enjoy it." Edith spoke "But we must act fast. Don't you want out mother to come home, Mary?"

"Yes." Mary answered. She misses her family and her friends so much; she may do anything to get them back.

"Then we must do it now." Sybil said "We need the ring, but we can't go separate, we must stay together, remember?"

Swimming closer and closer to the dry land, the trio of mermaids dragged her tails with very hardships until they were fully on the dry warm sand. Taking her ring off, Mary placed in in front of them all.

"What do we do now?" Edith said "We can't end up with octuplus tentacles."

"We won't if we think of human legs." Sybil explained "And only human legs just that, now focus on the ring and try to use your powers on it."

"And how do you know that?" Mary questioned, she truly was surprise at the younger Crawley's knowledge of such old and unused spells.

"Mama told me, now come on, let's do it fast so we can get back to our tails as fast as possible." With Sybil's answer the three mermaids stayed focused and looked deeply at the ring on the warm sand, moving their hands to channel their powers on getting human legs.

As if it was magic (which truly it was) the three young mermaids did not had their usual orange tails, but instead human legs, making them fall straight on the ground.

"This is disgusting." Mary spat, and stared coldly at Sybil.

"It won't be for long, Mary." Sybil said and looked at Edith. Oh poor Edith, no one would take her opinion on any matter now. "Are you feeling fine?"

"For once I agree with Mary. Human legs are completely disgusting!" Sybil laughed at Edith's words. "We cannot go on dry land like this, humans on boats don't look like this, they have, what are those things called anyway?"

"Clothes, Sybil. These are called clothes." Edith explained.

"Well, our point is to blend in and befriends him." Sybil reasoned "I say we swim till we find those clothes."

"Alright, we go on and steal some clothes." Mary replies "But now let's go back to where we belong, come on."


	4. You're a What?

_Who's ready for some Matthew and Tom bromance? \o/_

* * *

Walking, very much glad he can do so now, Tom approaches his best friend's door and knocks on it non-stop, nervously waiting for it to open. Matthew's mother Isobel answers it and looks at Tom calmly, unaware of the mess that his life is right now.

"Hello Tom, how are you my dear?" Isobel asked sweetly "Have come so that you and Matthew could go to work together, isn't it?"

Oh, work. How Tom could forget that. He worked on the small cafe near the beach with Matthew after school and on weekends. "Yes, actually that is exactly why I came" He said trying to pretend that is what he came to do; luckily the older woman does not sees trough his lie.

"He is coming down in a minute." Isobel spoke "Care to come inside for a tea? Or perhaps a juice in this awful heat?"

"No, thank you Mr. Crawley." Tom answered politely "I am fine."

A minute later, Matthew walks inside the living room, already saying goodbye to his mother, kissing her on the cheek before leaving to work with Tom.

Walking a safe distance from the house, Tom speaks "You are not going to believe what just happened. Follow me."

"We're going to get late." Matthew reasoned. Matthew was one of these guys that always valued pontuctuallity, especially for work.

"Trust me, when you see it, work will be out of your mind." Walking up to the nearest water source, the still unoccupied pier and before Matthew could say anything he jumped on the water, swimming a little to show off his tail and then surfaced back up, only to hear his best friend's gasp. Not from horror, but from utter chock.

"Trust me. I am just as surprised as you are." Tom laughed "Now please help me up, so I can start working on getting this bloody tail off me forever."

"You want out of tail?" Matthew asked, helping tom up in the deck. "You're a, heck I don't even know what!"

"I guess the proper name is merman." Tom answered. "Don't worry, the first time it went away in a few minutes."

"Well, hurry up, because soon this place will get full." Matthew said and watched the tail disappear and his friend's legs get back to where they belong. "Wow."

After standing up, both friends walked back to the cafe and started their work day as usual, saying hello to their boss Anthony, and starting to clean up the tables and prep the place to get open.

Anthony is a great boss for Matthew and Tom. Not much older than the two, Anthony is always understanding and ready to help if there is a problem with someone that works on the cafe or is just a costumer.

"Ready to open this place, boys?" Anthony asked and opened the door and windows, meaning that the Downton cafe was now officially open.

The cafe is named after the Downton Isle, a touristic point of the city; sadly although is a beautiful place, no one goes fishing or diving there, due to many accidents and not many fishes to catch.

If Tom was careful enough to think of this matter clearly, he would see that there are bigger secrets under the surface of that isle. Perhaps is because the pod of mermaids has been extremely careful to keep people away without revealing their identity, and to protect that Isle.

And they won't let a merman take that Isle from them.

* * *

 _Short chapter but I wanted to end it right there, anyway, just to clarify on this story, Anthony isn't as old as in Downton and that is because all other characters are younger too, being 18 years old, mainly cause I didn't wanted them to have that much responsibilities such as working all day long, but didn't wanted them to be super young like 16. That being said, Anthony is around 25 years old in this universe._

 _And please let me know what you think. We didn't saw our lovely mermaids on this but trust me we will get a very special meeting next chapter._

 _Oh and please let ,me know what you think of this story, it means the world to me and it will make my day if you say something that can improve my writing or what you wanna see next._

 _Beijos de chocolate, meus amores._


	5. A Very Important Fall

And here I am is ready for the meeting of a lovely couple? _o/._

 _Anyways, uni is going to start again in two weeks, so expect one more update before the third of November because I wanna update before I get all crazy and then only God knows when I'll be able to post a new chapter._

 _Also thsi chapter was meant to be posted yesterday but my great-grandmother died and I am only being able to post it today so I'm sorry if it's not perfect._

 _Please leave me a review if you enjoyed this chapter and if you didn't, then leave me a review anyway to let me know why._

 _I love you all a lot._

* * *

Sybil and her sisters were very careful as they swam close to the humans and were able to easily take a few clothes that were drying or just left hanging on the boats, it was funny actually, how easily she and her sisters are able to take things they need to hide and blend in. Well, with powers like theirs it must be easy.

It is funny to her, how human wear such odd things. And so hard to put on too.

"Why would anyone wear these things, I mean humans have weird foots, so I see why hide, but it's too tight." Edith questioned, earning a giggle form Sybil.

At the moment Sybil, Mary and Edith arrived at the most hidden spot on the dry-land and tried to put on the clothes they knew it wouldn't be as easy as they thought. The minute Edith started to try walking she fell straight to the ground, making Mary laugh uncontrollably; only for the latter to try to walk and fall as well. Edith laughed at Mary's fall and the oldest hit her arm angrily.

"Girls, stop with that." Sybil said leaning on a rock to find balance, unwillingly to fall with her face on the ground like her sisters just did. "Now come on, stand up, we need to act fast."

As she helped her sisters stand up, Sybil looked at the part of the beach that was starting to get filled with people and tried to find the boy, although she could not see him anywhere.

Her sisters stand up and they start to make their way to the beach -with trouble yes, but nothing that can stop them for achieving their mission- and to the small cave -well, Sybil assumes that is a cave, or what humans use as one anyway. - And decides to walk inside.

"Sybil, come on, you don't have time tom explore." Mary speaks but is unable to hold Sybil back as she and Edith try not to fall, nearly tripping on their new-found feet Sybil walks away.

She had always been like this, stubborn as always, giving trouble to their mother because she swam too fast and too close to the boats. Luckily Mary and Edith kept a close watch on her and prevented their little sister from revealing herself.

Of course it had been quite useful to teach her to make herself invisible at a young age, something other mermaids learned at twelve she already knew at the young age of nine.

But Sybil is so stubborn and even reckless sometimes that neither Mary nor Edith can doubt she will find a way out of this. Keep the boy alive and get the pod back.

If only there was a way they could do it.

She walks for a few good meters before falling and finding herself on the ground, right in front of the cafe. The young mermaid tries to stand up and is helped by a stranger with kind blue eyes that genuinely looks concerned for her.

He helps her up, and they stay in silence for a moment, not caring about the stares they may be getting right now.

She didn't know humans helped other humans. _Funny._

Their eyes lock and she can see the sea and the same adventurous spirit she has on his deep blue eyes.

"You okay, Miss?" He says and she nods, unable to say anything but stare at her eyes. _It's him. It's the boy from the boat and the cave, the one that transformed into a merman and made their pod run away with fear, and her and her sisters got out casted and without their mom because of him._ "I am Tom, Tom Branson, do you need help?"

"I am great, I -I have to go." Sybil says quickly not knowing what to do. "Thank you, excuse me."

"Wait! I don't know your name!" The boy shouted.

"It's Sybil." With that being said the young mermaid left, making the boy stare at her before going back to his own work.

"Sybil is you insane?" Edith questions "You could have, you could have gotten in trouble, what if someone spilled water on you?"

"They didn't." Sybil stated and Mary looked at her almost as if she knew.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Mary begins "The boy from a few days back."

"Yes." Sybil answers calmly "But we don't know what to do, how can we take his powers? We didn't plan anything at all."

"Then we find a way." Edith said.

"Isn't here that mother said her friend live, Edith?" Mary questions. Her mother Cora had a friend who had too being out casted years back; they kept in touch for a while but stopped when Sybil was born. Sometimes she would tell the stories of the adventures the two had in the open sea.

"Yes, it is!" Edith beamed. 'Maybe she can help us!"

"Who?" Sybil questioned, never once hearing of that mermaid. She does recall her mother saying something about a friend but nothing that she was out casted.

"We'll find her, maybe she's still here." They walk away until the same secret spot and dive back into their true home, the ocean. With one last glance at the dry land and the weird cave with the boy Sybil swims back to Downton.

* * *

 _I'll hug whoever finds out who these mermaid are. Opps, spoilers, the_ re are two.


	6. Meeting A Few Friends Along The Way

_And here I am again, with a new chapter and a bit of sadness because I don't know when I'll be able to updtae again. Wish me luck with uni, and please please please let me know what you think about this story and other things that you would like to read next, like pairings and characters I may not have incluided. Also if you don't like something let me know what and why..._

 _Eu amo vocês mais do que eu amo chocolate._

* * *

Swimming back to downton the mermaids decided to search for their mother's lost friend, hoping she was still nearby. Sybil hopes that this woman they have never met will help them, but most of all that she has a solution for their problem.

Well, not that Tom is a problem. At least he didn't look or sounded as he could cause one.

But again, he doesn't know her or what she truly is, would a mermaid help three young mergirls who she never met simply because they are daughters of a friend?

Sybil looks at Mary and Edith, both thinking restlessly, trying to remember if her mother said anything about the older mermaid's location. "Well, she only said it was around the Isle, on the shore, that a mermaid can never stay away." Mary spoke.

"We need the salty breeze and the ocean life." Edith completed, rememebering her mother's words carefully. "Maybe she has some sort of cave where she lives, but one connected to the sea in some way, maybe an ocean entrance?"

"Then, we must swim close at the shore and fins a deep ocean entrance." Sybil stated "If she needs water she will have one of these to capture the moon light and live..." Sybil completed motioning to the cave around her.

"I agree with Sybil." Mary continued "Now we must find her fast, before the pod swims too far away."

"We swim together, there are many of their weird caves near the sea, and it won't be hard." Sybil spoke and dived deeper with her sister.

They swam and swam for hours and hours with no end, looking through every cave, every possible spot that could lead to a cave until Sybil finally found a possible place. She could see that there was moving water in there, and she motioned for her sisters to follow her.

It was a tight entrance -quite fitting for a mermaid race, Sybil thought- but the mermaids entered one by one waiting until they were all there to finally come up to the surface.

Edith gasped as she saw the small cave, much similar to the moon pool at Downton, and she knew her sisters were feeling the same she was. "This place is awesome"

"Look!" Mary exclaimed "There is something in there, come on." The mermaids (still struggling with the walking with legs) Left the small pool and walked towards the opening of the cave and followed a hall, hearing a laugh and the murmur of a song. Nodding to her sisters, Sybil activated her invisibility power and all her sisters did the same and only then walked into the room.

Sybil could see two women in there; surely they were mermaids for both had the same sea scented as every other mermaid Sybil knew. One of them had blonde hair and kind eyes, smiling at the older one, who was a brunette and looked much older than the first one. Old enough to be her mother.

The older one looked straight at where Sybil and her sister were almost as if she could see them, or better yet sense their presence in the room. With a swift, almost too small move of her hand the woman smirked and stood up, making the blonde girl go behind her.

"Who are you three? I am not stupid I know you are here." With another move of her hand, the woman made the three sisters visible again. "

Sybil could see that it would be useless not to speak so she began right away. "We need your help."

"And who are we?" The older spoke, and until this points the younger was still behind her but not looking so scared after seeing what the other could do.

"We are from the Downton pod, daughters of Cora." Mary spoke, and at the minute the name Cora left Mary lips, they knew they had found the right mermaid. "She was your friend wasn't she? Even after you have been out casted."

"A long time ago, yes." She spoke and the blonde went back to her seat as well as her mother. "Come on, sit. Your human form can't take long standing."

The three mermaid sisters sat down and spoke with the older one. "We have been out casted, and we remembered that mother used to talk about you and we think you may help us." Edith explains

"And why were you out casted?" The blonde one asks.

"It is a long story." Sybil speaks "But what is your name anyway?"

"I am Elsie." The older one speaks "And this is my daughter, Rose."

"We are Mary, Edith and I am Sybil." The young mermaid speaks "And we may or not have let a human boy fall into the moon pool."

"How?" Elsie asks "That is the first mermaid rule, even above not being seen."

"It was a complete accident and now he is, well he is." Edith murmured.

"He is what?" Rose asks, clearly being taught well from her mother.

"He is a merman."


	7. Of Mermaids And Curiosity

_And I'm back! Yay! FInally!_

 _I know I'm awful for didn't updating in such a long time but a lot has happened in my life, incluiding the loss of many chapters of this story that were already pre-written and then a lot of university work and for many months my only writing was academical. I may have lost my fanfiction touch in that period but I hope to be able to do both things for now on but I do say my chapters will be shorter and updates slower._

 _We are starting back right were we left off and I do hope you all enjoy this story. I already say that this is quite different from the chapters I had lost._

 _Please enjoy and let me know what you think..._

* * *

"He is What?!" Elsie all but shouted, clearly angry. Mermans are supposed to be extinct.

"Aren't they all dead or something? " rose adds smartly.

"They should be, we don't know what happened. " Edith replies.

 _'Or why.'_ Sybil thought. She wanted more than anything to understand why it happened, maybe to show them that a contact between the worlds is possible. _'Maybe its because I wanna be part of his world_ ' she thinks to herself.

"The main point is : we need help." Mary speaks. Wait! Since when does Mary, who is pretty much a princess, asks for help? Being human, even for a while, was already making her weaker.

"I actually agree with Mary this time, do you know anything we can do to save our home? " Edith speakes.

" Downton is a very powerful place, and mermaids have been keeping humans away from it for centuries and centuries, and I think now you understand why. " Elsie replies, she may have been cast away from the pod many years ago but she still cares about Downton. It is home. " Stay here, I will come back in a minute. " Elsie says and leaves the younger generation in the room.

To say Rose had met other mermaids her age was a bit of mistake. The three mermaids in front of her are the only ones she had met, so clearly she needs to know them better.

"So... What is it like to live with a pod?" She asks and for a moment the three mermaids look sadly at her but Sybil appears to shake whatever sadness Rose's words clearly awaken to answer the young girl's question.

"It is like a huge family, and it is so much fun." Sybil answers the blonde mermaid who smiles at her.

"You never got with a pod, did you?" Mary asked, and if you knew her well you could read the bitterness in her voice torwards the blonde mermaid. It wasn't poor Rose's fault of course; Mary was just angry at this whole sutuation and the fact this sweet little blonde was so comfortable in legs and not in a pod was definatly scary for Mary. That could become her future.

"Never. My turn." Rose speaks but is quickily interrupted by Sybil who appears to have no idea of what she is talking about.

"To what?" Sybil asks.

"Ask a question." She answers as if it's simple as that. "Were you ever curious of humans?"

"Yes." Sybil is the only one who answers. "I even went up to watch a boat once."

"Really?!" Rose asks "Mom says that is forbidden for pod mermaids."

"Why did you not told me or mama about it ?" Mary asks almost angry at Sybil.

"Because you would react like this." Edith took part, she has to help Sybil as the good old sister she is, instead of the tell-it-all Mary is. "And she was just a little hatchling back then, she got curious, were you never curious of land people too?"

"No, never."

"Really?" Edith asked shocked. "Not even once? I mean it's not like they are good or pretty but can't you at least admit the way they move is funny?"

"No, they are disgusting." Mary spoke proudily.


	8. Stories

Oh I feel so proud of myself for taking time to write another chapter and an literature essay at the same time (I highily recomend Tzvetan Todorov's _La littérature en péril)_ ! Also I even have a name for my first ever research project inthe phonological area and Iam so happy about it because I truly love it! Also here w ar back again learning more about mermaids and Rose. For a while I considered making Rose human (way back when I started) but then I thought about giving her a sad little mermaid background.

Also I am writing this on speak your language ay (May 7th) so I'll finish in portuguese.

 _Eu amo vocês muito a espero que gostem._

* * *

Elsie Hughes came in the room a few hours after she left and nodded sadly at the three girls. "I didn't find a single thing about how to reemove someone's tail. There is no record of that whatsoever in the moon ring. It simply has never happened before."

"Much less with a boy." Edith replied.

"Mertmans died centuries ago, there is not a single oen alive that mermaids know about. If there was maybe he could help." Elsie spoke but was interrupted by Mary.

"Or not. They are eveil and tried to kill us all once, remember?"

"How we forget Mary." Edith said and looked at Sybil and Rose, both without a moon ring, too young to know the story. "Centuries ago mermans tried to take the most powerfull mermaid isle of all."

"Downton." Elsie completes " And they alomost did it, we lost many of our girls but we won."

"They are all dead?"Rose asked.

"Yes. Mermaids don't need them for anything." Mary said "We are childs of the moon, not of men like the humans."

"It's time you three rest, you have been in human form for too long and for new legs that it's not good." Elsie said "You can stay with me, I assume the boy has taken over Downton."

"He hasn't, doesn't know the entrance to the moon pool." Sybil speaks.

"But he will look for it, I'm sure." Mary says and Edith nods.

" need to protect Downton but we can't do that alone."

"Your mother has helped me many times,incluiding when I decided to leave the pod, and now it is only fair me and Rose help her daughters in this time of trouble."

* * *

"What is your story Rose?" Edith asks, now after a few hours of talking they were back at the small cave, no longer in the room filled with ocean-like things, but in the water where they truly belong.

"My story?" Rose asked. Her mother -who wasn't really her mother, but in heart she was- had told her she could trust these girls so why not tell them the _story._ "well, you know my mom? she isn't really my mother. She started taking care of me when I was five, right after my mother died. I swam for days and days without end until I somewhat entered this cave and she found me."

"I'm sorry." Sybil spoke.

"Don't be." Rose said and quickly moved off topic. "Do you know who the boy who fell in the pool is already?The townis so small I may as well know him."

"Only that his name is Tom."

"Tom?! as in Tom Branson?" Rose replies surprised.

"Do you know him?" Sybil asks curiously. _If Rose knew him than he couldn't be that bad, could he?_

"Yes, kind of." Rose begins "We met at school. Human school."

"Are you two friends?" Mary asks. _This was good, If Rose knows him then getting clos o him to stroying his tail would be so much easier._

"We barely talk. _I_ hardly talk." Rose replies "But he works in a lovely cafe nearby."

"We should go there!" Edith says.

"Only if you take me to the moon pool!" Rose replies smartly. "Please, I always wanted to be there!"

"Alright. We need to capture the moon powers, we will need them for this Tom boy." Mary agrees. "But won't your mother mind?"

Rose then picks something she left in a bag near the water and grabs a sqaure thing, touching it an dplacing by her ear. The three sisters have no idea of why she starts to talk, as if she is talking to a real person. "Yes, mom. I'll be carefull, please?"1

After more talking Rose nods and says "Bye mom, we will be back later, don't wait for us!" She places the sqaure thing back where it was and smiles happily "Done! I can go!"

The Downton po mermaids look as weirdily at her as if she just told them she doesn't eat fish. Clearly not understaning a thing.

"I was talking to my mom, it's a cellphone, you can talk to people with it." She laughs. "Now lets go!"


End file.
